The pontificate of Pope Gregory I, 590-604

Abstract

This thesis is an analysis of the administration of aphics. Pope Gregory 1, otherwise known as Gregory the Great. Gregorfs pontificate came during perhaps the darkest period in Roman history, as the entire Italian peninsula was wracked by wad-area famine, and disease. Gregory seemed ill-equipped for any position of leadership, as he suffered from both chronic poor health and a sense of despair from assuming a title he did not want. Despite his infirmities Gregory has been given much of the historical credit for saving both the Roman Church and the city of Rome itself Gregory left a fairly extensive written record for his time, including over 800 letters. From these letters it is possible to reconstruct many of his administrative decisions and infer much of his philosophy. This thesis looks at three issues Gregory faced during his pontificate, his relationship with the leadership in the imperial capital of Constantinople', his relationship with the barbarian force that had invaded Italy, the Lombards; and his interaction with the papal agents he assigned to various sections of the papal estates. The letters he wrote to respond to these three issues show a man who was fiercely committed to the preservation of Rome and the Roman Church. Although he sometimes operated somewhat independently from imperial policy he acknowledged that the emperor living in Constantinople had ultimate authority over civil matters He was an exacting administrator who required his agents to provide ample documentation of their activities on behalf of the papal estates. His commands to the papal agents show an unswerving desire to help the poor and protect the population of the papal estates against the depredations of either the Lombards or corrupt Church officials. Although this thesis provides only a foundation for further analysis of Gregory it suggests that Gregory was indeed worthy of the title "The Great.''